17 Months After Openly Banishing 6 Kids from His $600,000,000 Fortune, Shaquille O’Neal Refuses to Use Influence in Helping Son Shareef O’Neal’s Career

NBA legend Shaquille O’Neal has made a name for himself that stretches far beyond the NBA world. After retiring from the game of basketball with four NBA championships, the Big Diesel’s smart business investments and a wide range of endorsements have taken his net worth to over $600 million. However, Shaq still refuses to use his influence to promote his son Shareef O’Neal’s basketball career for very specific reasons.

Having achieved so much in his life and still going strong, Shaq is one of the most influential and recognizable personalities in the world. But according to the 51-year-old, his money and influence will never be used to spoon-feed his kids with opportunities. Shaq has openly said in the past that his kids will have to make it on their own, especially his boys. Recently, Shaq refused to use his influence to help elevate his son’s basketball career.

Shaquille O’Neal refuses to help his son’s career owing to family tradition

Among several other notable qualities, Shaq is known to be a bold speaker. He often speaks his mind and stands true to his words. The Big Aristotle was recently on the Fluent & Chill podcast where he talked about his son, Shareef O’Neal, and his basketball career.

Notably, the 23-year-old plays in the NBA G League and was one of the top-ranked basketball players in his high school class. While Shareef continues to work on his game for the NBA dream, his father has made a big statement regarding his involvement in his son’s career.

The Hall of Famer said on the podcast that his kids know they have a lot of work to do. He mentioned that Shareef had “a triple setback” in recent years. He went to one school where the coach criticized his game and to another school, where the coach was replaced. Other than that, the young man also had to undergo heart surgery in December 2018.

Despite all that, Shaq is adamant about letting his kids figure it out all by themselves. Shaq said, “Tradition in our family, we don’t get babied. So I’m not making no calls. You want it? You gotta go work.” Incidentally, Shareef has struggled to kickstart his hoops career. After failing to secure an NBA position after college, the 23-year-old currently plays for the NBA G-League team Ignite.

This is not the first time the Diesel has openly talked about how he raises his kids. Back in 2021, he said to his kids, “we ain’t rich, I’m rich.”

Read More: “I Was a Serial Cheater”: Talking About Adam Levine, Shaquille O’Neal Brings Up His Own Issues with Ex-Wife Shaunie

Shaquille O’Neal’s message to his 6 kids over his $600,000,000 Fortune

In 2021, Shaq was on the Earn Your Leisure podcast where he openly banished his 6 kids from his $600 million fortune, so that they know they will have to work for it. He said on the podcast that even if they wish to start a business, they will have to pitch him the idea and convince him before Shaq makes any investment.

What are your thoughts on Shaq’s parenting style? Tell us in the comments

Watch This Story: Chris Evans, Shakira And Other Superstars Whom 7 Ft Giant Shaquille O’Neal Has Made To Look Tiny Over The Years